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U-M softball starts run for national title vs. Oakland

The warm-up round -- er, Big Ten tournament -- is over for the Michigan softball team. Next up is the NCAAs.

Michigan will host a double-elimination regional this weekend at Alumni Field -- and likely a Super Regional, assuming the Wolverines advance. Joining No. 1 seed U-M in Ann Arbor this week are No. 2 seed California, No. 3 Pittsburgh and No. 4 Oakland University. U-M's first game will be at 6 p.m. Friday, against OU (ESPNU).

After rolling through the regular season with just two conference losses, U-M went to the Big Ten tournament to show how wide of a gap there is between the Wolverines and the rest of the conference.

Outscoring Penn State, Northwestern and Nebraska, 31-2, in the three games, capped Saturday night, the Wolverines made another resounding statement that this season could be unique.

Michigan barely blinked while rolling through Columbus, Ohio, and the tournament field. Led by star shortstop Sierra Romero, a finalist for college softball's player of the year, it seemed easy.

Romero continued to prove she deserves discussion among the nation's best, hitting .556 with three HRs and 11 RBIs in just the three games. She sits on the precipice of stamping herself as U-M's greatest hitter sitting just short of Sam Findlay's career record of 61 career home runs (one behind) and 217 RBIs (two back).

With U-M's pitchers rolling -- Megan Betsa has allowed just four hits in her last 24 innings and Haylie Wagner just four runs in the past 34 innings – the program's 21st NCAA tournament appearance could be its second serious run at the title.

U-M's last Big Ten tournament sweep came in 2005. That postseason, the Wolverines hosted the regional and Super Regional in Ann Arbor before winning the program's only national title in Oklahoma City.

"Nothing has to be said to our team," Romero said after the Big Ten tournament title in quotes on mgoblue.com. "We know what we want. We had a chip on our shoulder this year. We wanted to come down and win the tournament, and that's what we did."